College basketball rankings: Villanova vs. Xavier is biggest game of year in Big East

The Musketeers are No. 3 and the Wildcats are No. 4 in Saturday's Top 25 (and 1)

Xavier has a one-game lead in the loss column of the Big East standings with four games left to play -- among them Saturday's showdown with Villanova inside Cintas Center. So if the Musketeers win that, they'll have a two-game lead with three games left -- among them matchups against bottom-tier teams Georgetown and DePaul.

In other words, this is big.

Xavier, to be clear, can't win the Big East on Saturday. But Chris Mack's team can essentially clinch the Big East on Saturday because the Musketeers would not lose a two-game lead with three games left, I don't think. If nothing else, it's statistically unlikely. So Villanova, as a 1-point favorite, needs to win Saturday to keep a realistic hope of winning five straight Big East titles alive. Tip is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET. Xavier is No. 3 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 (and one). Villanova is No. 4. The complete Top 25 (and one) is below.

The Musketeers' resume features eight top-50 KenPom wins and just one sub-35 loss. They'll take a nine-game winning streak -- and one-game lead in the Big East standings -- into Saturday's game with Villanova.

The Wildcats' resume features six top-50 KenPom wins - among them victories over Xavier, Gonzaga, Tennessee and Butler. Villanova is 1-2 in its past three games with multiple losses to sub-60 KenPom teams.

Four of the Wolverines' seven losses are to schools ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 (and one). Michigan's resume is highlighted by four top-50 KenPom wins - among them a double-digit victory at Michigan State.

Gary Parrish is an award-winning college basketball columnist and television analyst for CBS Sports who also hosts the highest-rated afternoon drive radio show in Memphis, where he lives with his wife...
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